88R1623 CXP-F
By: Oliverson H.B. No. 2273
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the foundation curriculum and social studies curriculum
in public schools.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (h-1), (h-2), and (h-6) and adding Subsection
(h-3) to read as follows:
(h-1) In adopting the essential knowledge and skills for the
foundation curriculum under Subsection (a)(1), the State Board of
Education shall, as appropriate, adopt essential knowledge and
skills that develop each student's civic knowledge, including an
understanding of:
(1) the fundamental moral, political, and
intellectual foundations of the American experiment in
self-government;
(2) political ideologies, such as communism and
totalitarianism, that conflict with the principles of freedom and
democracy essential to the founding principles of the United
States;
(3) the student's shared rights and responsibilities
as a resident of this state;
(4) the history, qualities, traditions, and features
of civic engagement in the United States;
(5) [(3)] the structure, function, and processes of
government institutions at the federal, state, and local levels;
and
(6) [(4)] the founding documents of the United States,
including:
(A) the entirety of the Declaration of
Independence;
(B) the entirety of the United States
Constitution;
(C) the Federalist Papers, including the
entirety of Essays 10 and 51;
(D) excerpts from Alexis de Tocqueville's
Democracy in America;
(E) the transcript of the first Lincoln-Douglas
debate;
(F) the writings of the founding fathers of the
United States;
(G) the entirety of Frederick Douglass's
speeches "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" and "What the
Black Man Wants"; and
(H) the entirety of Martin Luther King Jr.'s
speech "I Have a Dream."
(h-2) In adopting the essential knowledge and skills for the
social studies curriculum for each grade level from kindergarten
through grade 12, the State Board of Education shall adopt
essential knowledge and skills that develop each student's civic
knowledge, including:
(1) an understanding of:
(A) the fundamental moral, political,
entrepreneurial, and intellectual foundations of the American
experiment in self-government;
(B) the history, qualities, traditions, and
features of civic engagement in the United States;
(C) the civic-minded expectations of an upright
and desirable citizenry that recognizes and accepts responsibility
for preserving and defending the blessings of liberty inherited
from prior generations and secured by the United States
Constitution;
(D) the structure, function, and processes of
government institutions at the federal, state, and local levels;
and
(E) [(D)] the founding documents of the United
States;
(2) the ability to:
(A) analyze and determine the reliability of
information sources;
(B) formulate and articulate reasoned positions;
(C) understand the manner in which local, state,
and federal government works and operates through the use of
simulations and models of governmental and democratic processes;
(D) advocate effectively before governing bodies
and officials;
(E) actively listen and engage in civil
discourse, including discourse with those with different
viewpoints; and
(F) [(E)] participate as a citizen in a
constitutional democracy by voting; and
(3) an appreciation of:
(A) the importance and responsibility of
participating in civic life;
(B) a commitment to the United States and its
form of government; and
(C) a commitment to free speech and civil
discourse.
(h-3) The State Board of Education shall adopt oral history
resources to be used by school districts in instruction in the
essential knowledge and skills adopted under Subsections (h-1) and
(h-2) that provide portraits in patriotism based on the personal
stories of diverse individuals who demonstrate civic-minded
qualities, including first-person accounts of victims of other
nations' governing philosophies who can compare those philosophies
with the governing philosophies of the United States.
(h-6) In providing instruction regarding the founding
documents of the United States as described by Subsection (h-1)(6)
[(h-1)(4)], a school district or open-enrollment charter school
shall use those documents as part of the instructional materials
for the instruction.
SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024
school year.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2023.